


Or Forever Hold Your Peace

by the_genderman



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Slash, Steve gets cold feet, an OFC gets left at the altar, runaway groom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 12:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19853326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_genderman/pseuds/the_genderman
Summary: Steve is getting married. Bucky really just wants to kiss him once before he loses that chance.“Write me fic where one of them is the other's best man, but the plot twist is he kisses him as he's helping fix on his bowtie and then they both escape through the window together.”“Oh! What if it's pre-war? Steve is young and dumb and he very quickly realized "oh no this was a mistake" and Bucky has just been "this is a mistake but I can't really tell him my real objection" the whole time but then he does and Steve's like "oh thank goodness let's run away."”





	Or Forever Hold Your Peace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crinklefries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crinklefries/gifts).



"Steve, _please_ , just stop pacing! It's not doing you any good and you're making my head spin," Bucky said, pressing his hand dramatically to his forehead.

Steve actually paused his circuit of the tiny back room of what had to be the tiniest chapel in all of New York and turned to look at Bucky, pre-ceremony jitters clearly obvious in his face. His hands were up at his throat, holding the loose ends of his bow tie as he tried to force it into some kind of passable knot. Other than the nerves and the un-tied tie, he looked eminently presentable. Bucky had helped him slick back his hair into something that he wouldn’t be combing nervously out of his eyes every couple minutes. His best Sunday suit had been ironed and starched, the ripped seam stitched up with matching thread and tiny stitches, barely visible even on close inspection. 

"Just give me a couple more tries, I know I can figure it out," Steve said, quickly turning away and fumbling even more nervously with his tie.

Bucky stifled a frustrated sigh. He still thought Steve was making a mistake, that one bad pneumonia scare didn't mean he was gonna die before he hit twenty and maybe he shouldn't've proposed to the first girl who was nice to him while he was in hospital, but if this was what he said he wanted, then Bucky would be there to support him. When Steve had asked him to be his best man, of course he had said yes. It would break his heart to lose Steve, but here he was, willingly watching his best friend get married. He sat and watched Steve, trying to burn the image into his mind so he’d have something to keep with him.

After another couple minutes of failed attempts, Bucky stood up and reached out to grab the ends of the tie out of Steve’s hands.

“Steve, could you just let me do it?” Bucky asked, his frustration audible.

Steve huffed, but dropped his hands, letting them hang at his sides. He lifted his chin to give Bucky room to work. 

Bucky stepped closer, his fingers brushing lightly against Steve’s throat as he looped the tie over and folded it into shape. He watched Steve’s adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. Bucky swallowed reflexively, trying to push down every improper thought he had ever had about Steve and his perfect neck. He wanted to unbutton Steve’s shirt and kiss his throat all the way from the hollow between his collarbones up to the tender little spot behind his ear. Instead, he tugged the ends of the bow tie into place, smoothed down the collar of Steve’s shirt, and stepped back to admire his handiwork.

“How’s it look?” Steve asked, dropping his chin again and raising his eyes to look up at Bucky. 

The earnest, slightly shy smile on Steve’s face shattered any remaining decorum Bucky thought he had. He might regret what he was going to do, but he’d also regret it if he didn’t.

“Ah, hmm, a little crooked,” Bucky said, tilting his head a little to the side. “Lemme just fix it…”

Bucky’s fingers closed on the ends of the bow tie, he gave it a little tweak, mumbled a “Sorry,” and pulled Steve in close. He pressed their mouths together, sucking Steve’s lower lip between his, allowing himself a tiny nibble before pulling back, breathing heavily from the audacity of his decision.

Steve stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed, blinking at Bucky as if he wasn’t sure what had just happened had _actually_ happened.

“Sorry,” Bucky said again. He ducked his head, running his fingers through his hair, clenching them at the nape of his neck and pulling, feeling the sharp prickle. Self-flagellation for his arrogance to believe that Steve would want that from him.

“Bucky?” Steve asked quietly.

“Yeah?” Bucky replied, equally quiet.

“How… how long have you been waiting to do that?”

“Couple years?”

“And you never _said_ anything?” Steve sounded astonished, not angry.

“No?” Bucky answered, brows scrunching together in confusion. “Why would I? It’s not like I had a chance.”

Steve laughed and grinned. “Bucky, you’re the dumbest smart guy I’ve ever met. I thought you knew but just weren’t interested in me like that. I mean, I get it, I’m not much to look at.”

“Not much to look at? Are you kidding yourself?” Bucky blurted out. “Steve, you’re _gorgeous_ , and-- wait, thought I knew what?”

Steve raised one eyebrow and just _looked_ at Bucky.

“Oh!” Bucky said after a moment’s thought. “Then _why_ are you marrying Doris?”

“Because she’s nice and I couldn’t have you?”

“That’s a terrible reason.”

“I know…” Steve said, looking very guilty.

“You’re not really going to go through with it, right?” Bucky asked.

“I’ve had cold feet for the past month; I was trying to figure out some way to bolt, honestly,” Steve replied, tugging at his bow tie and knocking it askew.

Bucky reached in to straighten it again. “How’s this: you kiss me like you mean it, and I’ll give you a boost out that window?”

“You’ve got a deal,” Steve grinned. 

Steve stepped up close to Bucky, standing chest to chest, and threw his arms around Bucky’s neck. Bucky dipped his head to make things a little easier on Steve. Steve latched on like a drowning man, kissing Bucky like he was trying to share breath with him. Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve, one hand cradling his head, fingers running through his hair and mussing it up. They parted reluctantly.

“So, out the window?” Steve asked, gesturing with his head because his arms were still wrapped around Bucky’s neck.

“I’m right with you,” Bucky said, steering the two of them towards the window.


End file.
